Department for Transport

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Wendover

Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent actionshave been taken by HS2 Ltd and contractors EKFB to ensure that they satisfy legal obligations to consider all reasonable and practical alternatives to mitigate the impact of the HS2 Phase One route at Wendover.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: There are no legal obligations on HS2 Ltd to consider alternative proposals from third parties following Royal Assent.The Phase One scheme was extensively discussed and scrutinised in both Houses, and during the committee stage of the Bill process, before the High Speed Rail (London – West Midlands) Act 2017 received Royal Assent.However, HS2 Ltd and EKFB continue to engage with those affected by the works are currently developing the detailed design following the best practice approaches agreed with Qualifying Authorities as set out in HS2 Planning Forum Notes.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Wendover

Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assessmenthas been made of the effect of HS2 Phase One construction and operation at Wendover on (1) local transport infrastructure, (2) permitted noise levels, (3) air quality, and (4) the Site of Special Scientific Interest at Weston Turville Reservoir.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Information, reports, and studies which monitor the environmental effects of constructing HS2 are published online and updated monthly and annually. They include reports on air quality, dust, noise and vibration. The Phase One Environmental Statement as published reports the likely significant effects (as a likely worst case) of the broad range of environmental impacts along the route of the new railway on Wendover.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Wendover

Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government what alternative noise and environmental mitigation proposals have been agreed by HS2 Ltd and EKFB to the consented scheme on HS2 Phase One at Wendover following recent discussions with local authorities and stakeholder groups.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: HS2 Ltd continues to work within the powers of the High Speed Rail (London – West Midlands) Act 2017 and the mitigations specified within it, which were subject to extensive Parliamentary scrutiny in respect of all areas in Phase One.The approach used for Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Assessment is to use worst case scenarios. The HS2 Environmental Minimum Requirements are then in place to allow effective measures to be developed and implemented to further reduce impacts.Detailed design work is ongoing, and indicative mitigation proposals are subject to approvals through schedule 17 of the High Speed Rail (London – West Midlands) Act 2017. They are made public through this process. Earlier this year, the Wendover Dean Viaduct was the subject of the first such application made and was approved in May 2021, and indicative mitigation proposals for the remainder of works in Wendover will follow in future applications. At Wendover Dean Viaduct, optimisation of the viaduct design since the hybrid Bill has led to an environmentally significant reduction in forecast noise levels which has removed a significant effect reported in the Environmental Statement.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Wendover

Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether newalternative noise and environmental mitigation solutions at Wendover on HS2 Phase One will be considered by HS2 Ltd and EKFB.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: HS2 civils contractor EKFB is undertaking the detailed design of noise and environmental mitigation. HS2 Ltd and EKFB continue to engage with those affected by the works to understand and engage with their concerns. They are currently developing the detailed design following the best practice approaches agreed with Qualifying Authorities set out in HS2 Planning Forum Notes.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Wendover

Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recentassessment they have made of (1) progress, and (2) constructioncosts, of the current consented HS2 Phase One scheme at Wendover.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government assesses HS2 Ltd progress in delivering the Phase One railway, including the section at Wendover, on a monthly basis. The delivery of the new railway in the Wendover area, and across the Phase One route, remains within both the budget and schedule estimates provided at the point of Notice to Proceed in April 2020, following the reset of the project in February 2020. More detailed cost and schedule information can be found in the HS2 Minister’s last six-monthly update to Parliament published on 23 March 2021.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Vacancies

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many job vacancies there are in England; what assessment they have made as to whether there are sufficient workers available to fill those vacancies, particularly in the (1) IT and computing, and (2) hospitality, sectors; and what plans they have to address any skills gaps.

Lord Callanan: The Government actively monitors the UK labour market. The latest ONS statistics suggest that, between March and May 2021, there were 758,000 vacancies in the economy, only 27,000 below the pre-pandemic level. We are actively supporting the hospitality sector on its road to recovery. We are offering generous incentives to employers to recruit staff, with hundreds of young people starting work every day through the Kickstart Scheme. We are providing employers with a hiring incentive for each new apprentice they hire and have increased the payment to £3,000 for each newly hired apprentice of any age, helping more people to kick start or upskill their career across a broad range of industries. We are also investing £126 million in additional support to help create 40,000 more traineeships in England, funding high-quality work placements and training for 16-24-year olds in 2021-22. The digital transformation is driving rises in the number of tech and digital jobs advertised, providing an opportunity to get people into good quality work. According to Adzuna estimates, there were 132,000 tech job vacancies in the UK in May, making up 12% of all open vacancies. There are nearly three million jobs in the digital tech economy, more than either Construction (1.9m) or Financial Services (1.2m) and the sector accounts for 9% of the UK’s workforce. The 10 Tech Priorities, launched by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in March, includes ‘’building a tech savvy nation’’. Our apprenticeships and digital bootcamps will help set people up for highly skilled, highly paid roles of the future. Encouraging many more skilled people to enter digital roles is vital if the UK is to have the digital skills it requires. In order to coordinate industry support for the teaching of computing in English schools, DCMS created the Digital Skills Partnership Schools group. In order to raise the awareness of interesting digital roles and routes into them, the Digital Skills Partnership Schools Group is working with industry to test how best to do this. The pilot, funded by DCMS, is being run by the South West Local Digital Skills Partnership.

Bacanora Lithium: Takeovers

Lord Lee of Trafford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential consequences of a takeover of Bacanora Lithium by Ganfeng Lithium; and in particular, whether such a takeover could restrict the UK's access to lithium supplies.

Lord Callanan: Mergers and takeovers are primarily commercial matters for the parties involved. The Government has powers under the Enterprise Act 2002 to intervene in transactions which raise national security concerns. The Government has recently strengthened those powers through the National Security and Investment Act 2021. The Government is aware of this proposed transaction and is monitoring developments closely. The Government recognises the strategic importance of securing the UK’s access to lithium supplies and is supporting the domestic extraction of critical “rare earth” materials, including lithium. For example, we are part funding Cornish Lithium and Geothermal Engineering to build a zero carbon, lithium extraction pilot plant at an existing site in Cornwall through the Government’s Get Building Fund.

Conditions of Employment

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment theyhave made, if any, of the case for a ‘Right to Disconnect’; and if they have made such an assessment, what the impact of such a right would be on employee mental health.

Lord Callanan: The Government is considering the business practices, opportunities and risks associated with home and “hybrid” working, as some employers choose to embed these new ways of working into organisational business models more permanently. My Hon. Friend the Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Labour Markets has reconvened the Flexible Working Taskforce – a partnership across business groups, trade unions, charities, and government departments – to help inform the Government’s thinking and support employers as we navigate the impact of Covid-19 on future ways of working. The Taskforce has been asked to help take forward the best of what we have learned through the pandemic about more flexible ways of working as the economy starts to fully open up. The Taskforce will provide wider advice on best practice, so that employers are better able to support all forms of flexible working – whether the flexibility relates to the amount, timing or location of work. As part of this advice, the Taskforce will consider the issues associated with an employee’s ability to disconnect from work when working remotely and the related mental health considerations.

Department for Education

Schools: Mental Health Services

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what stepsthey are taking to ensure that mental health first aid training is rolled out in primary school settings.

Baroness Berridge: We recognise how important it is to equip education staff with the skills and tools that they need to understand and respond to the mental health needs of their students. We remain committed to ensuring school staff, pupils and all education settings, including primary schools, can access the wellbeing and mental health support they need in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.We have made sure that schools have access to a range of training over the last year so that teachers understand the issues that pupils are facing as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak and how to support their pupils. In particular, our Wellbeing for Education Return programme supported over 15,000 schools and colleges by funding expert advisers in every local authority, to give access to free training, support and resources for education staff.We are committed to supporting all schools to deliver Relationships, Sex and Health Education, which includes a range of specific teaching requirements on mental health and wellbeing. We prioritised the publication of the mental wellbeing teacher training module in July last year to help improve the confidence of subject leads and teachers in delivering mental wellbeing as part of the new curriculum and to plan lessons to help their pupils with recovery.Earlier this year, we convened a Mental Health in Education Action Group. Through this group, we are working to build on what we are already doing to help education settings put in place the right support for children and young people’s mental wellbeing at this critical time. This is being backed by the Youth Mental Health Ambassador, Dr Alex George.We recently announced more than £17 million to build on mental health support already available in education settings, with up to 7,800 schools and colleges in England offered funding worth £9.5 million to train a senior mental health lead from their staff in the next academic year. This is part of the government’s commitment to offer this training to all state schools and colleges by 2025. The training will equip senior mental health leads with the knowledge to develop or introduce a holistic approach to wellbeing and mental health in their setting and to implement effective processes for ensuring that pupils and students with mental health problems receive appropriate support. As part of this recent announcement, we also provided £7 million in additional funding for local authorities to deliver the Wellbeing for Education Recovery programme, which builds on Wellbeing for Education Return to provide local expert advice to schools with navigating local support to find the right support for their pupils.

Higher Education: Finance

The Earl of Clancarty: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer byBaroness Berridge on 7 June (HL Deb, col 1185) that "the Office for Students has just consulted on the request to reprioritise the strategic priorities grant", what are these renewed strategic priorities; and to what level of education it is intended that these strategic priorities will apply.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The Strategic Priorities Grant plays an important role in supporting higher education providers and students to develop the skills and knowledge needed locally, regionally, and nationally to support the economy.The grant is supplied by the government on an annual basis to support higher education providers’ ongoing teaching and related activities where income from tuition fees alone do not meet the cost of provision.The government has asked the Office for Students to reform the Strategic Priorities Grant for 2021–22. These reforms apply to higher education funding and include the reallocation of high-cost subject funding towards the provision of high-cost subjects which support the NHS and wider healthcare policy, high-cost science, technology, and engineering subjects, and subjects meeting specific labour market needs, as well as the removal of the London weighting element of the grant.We have also asked the Office for Students to invest an additional £10 million in our world-leading specialist providers, many of which specialise in arts provision. We want to ensure that our specialist providers receive additional support, and that grant funding is used to support students effectively.The Office for Students has now publicly consulted on these proposals, and responses from universities, students, and others will be considered before any final decisions on allocations are made.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners' Release: Females

Lord Woolf: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure women prison leavers in accommodation provided through the temporary accommodation scheme of the Ministry of Justice are assisted into permanent accommodation.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: We are investing more than £20m in supporting prison leavers at risk of homelessness into temporary accommodation. Individuals released from prison will be provided up to 12 weeks of temporary accommodation and will be supported into long-term settled accommodation before the end of that 12-week period. Initially launching in five national probation regions, the service will support around 3,000 offenders in its first year and will be commencing this Summer. It will be in operation during the next financial year 2021-22, with a view to scaling up and rolling out nationally. The service will take account of the needs of women, including those with complex needs and accommodation provision will be dedicated to single gender usage as required. Community Probation Practitioners, working together with local partners, will be responsible for ensuring that vulnerable female prison leavers receive appropriate support and are provided with housing beyond the 12 weeks emergency accommodation. HMPPS will work in conjunction with MHCLG’s announced funding to support both male and female prison leavers at risk of homelessness into private rental tenancies. Funded schemes to support women will be developed to recognise their specific needs and will be part of plans to secure settled accommodation by the end of the 12 weeks temporary accommodation provided by HMPPS. In 2020, Hestia Battersea was changed from a male to female Approved Premises to give better geographic spread of AP provision for women, becoming the first AP for women in London since 2008.In addition, Eden House, the first new AP in over thirty years, will open in this month supporting female offenders.

Prisoners' Release: Females

Baroness Goudie: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will ensure womenprison leavers supported by the Ministry of Justice’s temporary accommodation service are supported into permanent accommodation.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: We are investing more than £20m in supporting prison leavers at risk of homelessness into temporary accommodation. Individuals released from prison will be provided up to 12 weeks of temporary accommodation and will be supported into long-term settled accommodation before the end of that 12-week period. Initially launching in five national probation regions, the service will support around 3,000 offenders in its first year and will be commencing this Summer. It will be in operation during the next financial year 2021-22, with a view to scaling up and rolling out nationally. The service will take account of the needs of women, including those with complex needs and accommodation provision will be dedicated to single gender usage as required. Community Probation Practitioners, working together with local partners, will be responsible for ensuring that vulnerable female prison leavers receive appropriate support and are provided with housing beyond the 12 weeks emergency accommodation. HMPPS will work in conjunction with MHCLG’s announced funding to support both male and female prison leavers at risk of homelessness into private rental tenancies. Funded schemes to support women will be developed to recognise their specific needs and will be part of plans to secure settled accommodation by the end of the 12 weeks temporary accommodation provided by HMPPS. In 2020, Hestia Battersea was changed from a male to female Approved Premises to give better geographic spread of AP provision for women, becoming the first AP for women in London since 2008.In addition, Eden House, the first new AP in over thirty years, will open in this month supporting female offenders.

Prisoners' Release: Females

Lord Campbell of Pittenweem: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that female prisoners who have left prison and are being supported by the temporary accommodation service are assisted into permanent accommodation.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: We are investing more than £20m in supporting prison leavers at risk of homelessness into temporary accommodation. Individuals released from prison will be provided up to 12 weeks of temporary accommodation and will be supported into long-term settled accommodation before the end of that 12-week period. Initially launching in five national probation regions, the service will support around 3,000 offenders in its first year and will be commencing this Summer. It will be in operation during the next financial year 2021-22, with a view to scaling up and rolling out nationally.The service will take account of the needs of women, including those with complex needs and accommodation provision will be dedicated to single gender usage as required. Community Probation Practitioners, working together with local partners, will be responsible for ensuring that vulnerable female prison leavers receive appropriate support and are provided with housing beyond the 12 weeks emergency accommodation.HMPPS will work in conjunction with MHCLG’s announced funding to support both male and female prison leavers at risk of homelessness into private rental tenancies. Funded schemes to support women will be developed to recognise their specific needs and will be part of plans to secure settled accommodation by the end of the 12 weeks temporary accommodation provided by HMPPS.In 2020, Hestia Battersea was changed from a male to female Approved Premises to give better geographic spread of AP provision for women, becoming the first AP for women in London since 2008.In addition, Eden House, the first new AP in over thirty years, will open in this month supporting female offenders.

Prisoners' Release: Females

Lord Campbell of Pittenweem: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that no female prisoner is released from prison to homelessness.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: We are committed to doing all we can to address the issues around female offending. It is vital that we do so to better protect the public and deliver more effective rehabilitation. This includes supporting women when they are leaving prison.In June 2018, the Government published the Female Offender Strategy. This set out a programme of work to improve outcomes for female offenders and make society safer by tackling the underlying causes of offending and reoffending. Its publication was the start of a new and significant programme of work to deliver better outcomes for female offenders that will take some years to deliver. We recognise the important role that the women’s community services play in supporting female offenders. We have invested some £7m in the sector since 2018 and announced a further £2.5m funding on 11 June 2021.As part of our commitment to tackling the issues female offenders face, we have a Reducing Re-offending lead specifically for the Women’s Estate which allows us to make sure that we are focused on the outcomes specifically from within the women’s prisons. As part of our commitment to eliminate rough sleeping, we are working across Government with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), Welsh Government and Other Government Departments, to address the barriers offenders face in securing suitable accommodation.We are investing more than £20m in supporting prison leavers at risk of homelessness into temporary accommodation. Individuals released from prison will be provided up to 12 weeks of temporary accommodation and will be supported into long-term settled accommodation before the end of that 12-week period. Initially launching in five national probation regions, the service will support around 3,000 offenders in its first year and will be commencing in Summer. It will be in operation during the next financial year 2021-22, with a view to scaling up and rolling out nationally, though the Spending Review 2021 will set out the approach for future years.The service will take account of the needs of women, including those with complex needs and accommodation provision will be dedicated to single gender usage as required. Community Offender Managers, working together with local partners, will be responsible for ensuring that vulnerable female prison leavers with complex needs receive appropriate support and are provided with housing beyond the 12 weeks emergency accommodation.We are introducing and testing a new specialist housing advisor role in twenty prisons, including within the female estate. The new role will seek to strengthen links between prisons, through the gate teams and local authorities to improve accommodation outcomes for those at risk of homelessness. Subject to evaluation, the intention is to scale up and roll-out nationally across all resettlement prisons.In 2020, Hestia Battersea was changed from a male to female Approved Premises to give better geographic spread of AP provision for women, becoming the first AP for women in London since 2008.In addition, Eden House, the first new AP in over thirty years, will open in this month supporting female offenders.Following a comprehensive review, the ‘Subsistence Payment’ (currently known as the Discharge Grant) will be uprated from £46 to £76 to reflect increases in the UK’s Consumer Prices Index (CPI). This is planned to come into effect during Summer 2021. Going forward, the Subsistence Payment will be increased year on year in line with the CPI until 2024/25..

Prisoners: Rehabilitation

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people in prison serving a life sentence (1) enrolled on, and (2) completed, an offending behaviour course after the expiry of their tariff period in each of the last five years.

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people in prison serving an Imprisonment for Public Protection sentence (1) enrolled on, and (2) completed, an offending behaviour course after the expiry of their tariff period in each of the last five years.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: We have responded to your request in line with the statistical definition of offending behaviour programmes (OBP) used in the HMPPS Annual Digest and HMPPS Offender Equality Report. Therefore, Sexual Offender Treatment Programmes and Substance Misuse Programmes have been excluded.National data on all prisoner enrolments (starts) and completions in prison-delivered accredited OBPs are collected and published annually.The latest available statistics are from April 2019 to March 2020 and were published this month. This data will include some individuals who may have attended more than one accredited programme over time. The available national data does not provide further break-down by those currently in custody or by sentence type to be able to identify who accessed a programme after the expiry of their tariff period. However, data-gathering and further analysis has been able to provide some of the information requested in line with the statistical definition which are primarily for general, domestic violence and violence related offending behaviour programmes. The accredited programmes data was matched with the National Offender Management Information System to obtain data on tariff expiry and this process achieved a 90% match rate of records between the two sources.The table attached provides the number of indeterminate sentenced prisoners serving a life sentence, and those serving an Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence who (a) enrolled on and (b) completed a general or violence offending behaviour course after the expiry of their tariff.The Government’s primary responsibility is to protect the public. Accredited programmes aim to protect the public and reduce reoffending and are part of a range of rehabilitation and risk reduction opportunities available. In recent years, there has been a reinvestment from shorter, moderate intensity programmes in favour of longer, higher intensity programmes. HM Prison and Probation Service remains committed to supporting the progression of those serving IPP and life sentences in custody, so that the Parole Board may direct their release, or as the case may be, re-release, as soon as it is safe to do so.Table (xlsx, 18.0KB)

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Pakistan: Ahmadiyya

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have raised the attack on an Ahmadi Muslim burial by an armed group in Sheikhupura District in Pakistan with the government of Pakistan; if not, whetherthey plan to do so;and whether they will place the details ofanyresponse in the Library of the House.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government remains deeply concerned by reports of discrimination and violence against religious communities in Pakistan, including against the Ahmadiyya Muslim community. We continue to urge the government of Pakistan at senior levels to guarantee the fundamental rights of all its citizens, regardless of their religion or belief.As Minister of State for South Asia, I intend to raise our concerns about the persecution of Ahmadi Muslims with senior Pakistani government representatives during my visit to Pakistan this month. This engagement will build on my discussion of recent murders of Ahmadi Muslims with Pakistan's Special Representative for Religious Harmony, Tahir Ashrafi, on 23 March. The Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, Fiona Bruce, also met with the International Human Rights Committee on 12 April in order to understand their concerns about the issues facing the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Pakistan.

Universal Rights Group

Lord Austin of Dudley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what partnerships their diplomatic missions (1) have at present, or (2) have had in the past, with the Universal Rights Group non-governmental organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The United Kingdom Mission in Geneva regularly engages with a wide range of civil society organisations, including the Universal Rights Group, to help advance its work at the UN Human Rights Council. The UK Mission participates in the annual human rights "Glion Dialogue" which is hosted by the Swiss Government in partnership with the Universal Rights Group and attended by a diverse group of states and civil society organisations.

Universal Rights Group

Lord Austin of Dudley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what projects their diplomatic missions have funded for the Universal Rights Group non-governmental organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland; and how much funding has been approved.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: HM Government have provided funding to the Universal Rights Group for a number of projects:In 2013-14 we funded URG £60,000 to support the implementation of Human Rights Council resolution 16/18 on combating religious intolerance.In 2016-17, £30,250 and in 2017-18 £22,100, to support projects on corruption and SDG16 on "Leveraging the UN human rights system to contribute to the global fight against corruption and the realisation of Sustainable Development Goal 16"In 2018-19 25,043 CHF for a project to support a more diverse membership of the Human Rights Council , through engagement with small island developing states and least developed countriesNo funding has been provided to Universal Rights Group in the last 2 years.

Sri Lanka: Politics and Government

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the (1) economic, and (2) political, situation in Sri Lanka.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK government monitors economic and political developments in Sri Lanka very closely, including through the British High Commission in Colombo. As for many countries, the pandemic has affected Sri Lanka's rate of economic growth and level of debt. The UK has underlined the importance of an inclusive economic response including for marginalised groups and those most affected by the impacts of the pandemic.The political and human rights situation in Sri Lanka remains concerning, including measures which extend executive control over independent institutions and the judiciary, pressure on civil society, continued militarisation of civilian functions, and increased marginalisation of minorities. On 23 March the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) adopted a new resolution, 46/1, led by the UK alongside our partners in the Core Group on Sri Lanka. This resolution provides a continued framework for international engagement on human rights in Sri Lanka, and highlights serious concerns about the situation, including those detailed in the report of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). It calls on the government of Sri Lanka to make progress on accountability and human rights, and stresses the importance of a comprehensive accountability process for all violations and abuses committed in Sri Lanka.Minister for South Asia Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon has raised the importance of human rights, accountability and reconciliation with Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister and the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to the UK in January and May respectively. The UK government will continue to engage with the government of Sri Lanka on our human rights concerns.

Overseas Aid

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received from other governments in relation to their decision to cut Official Development Assistance to 0.5 per cent of Gross National Income.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We have been discussing the UK's ODA decision and commitments with our development donor partners. The UK remains a development superpower. We will spend £10 billion on ODA in 2021.That means, this year (2021) the UK will be the third largest ODA donor in the G7 as a percentage of GNI, based on OECD 2020 data, and will spend a greater percentage of our GNI on ODA than the US, Japan, Canada or Italy. Of the countries that also meet the NATO 2% target, as a percentage of GNI the UK will be the most generous aid spender. Collectively, across aid and defence, the UK will spend £56 billion in 21-22. Even at 0.5% GNI, the UK's 2021 spend is above the preliminary 2020 average of OECD Development Assistance Committee member states - at just 0.41%.

Overseas Aid

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the international reputation of the UK of their decision to reduce Official Development Assistance to 0.5 per cent of Gross National Income.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK remains a development superpower. We will spend £10 billion on ODA in 2021. That means, this year (2021) the UK will be the third largest ODA donor in the G7 as a percentage of GNI, based on OECD 2020 data, and will spend a greater percentage of our GNI on ODA than the US, Japan, Canada or Italy. Of the countries that also meet the NATO 2% target, as a percentage of GNI the UK will be the most generous aid spender. Collectively, across aid and defence, the UK will spend £56 billion in 21-22. Even at 0.5% GNI, the UK's 2021 spend is above the preliminary 2020 average of OECD Development Assistance Committee member states - at just 0.41%.

Overseas Aid

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to restore the level of Official Development Assistance to 0.7 per cent of Gross National Income.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government is committed to returning to spending 0.7 per cent of GNI on official development assistance when the fiscal situation allows. The economic situation is difficult to predict therefore we are monitoring the situation. But the PM, Chancellor and the Foreign Secretary are all in agreement that they want the UK to return to 0.7 as soon as the situation allows. This is reflected in the Integrated Review.

Environment: Crime

Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they support the addition of the crime of ecocide to the treaty governing the International Criminal Court.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The International Criminal Court can play an important role in global efforts to end impunity for the most serious crimes of international concern, by holding perpetrators to account and achieving justice for victims. However, there are currently no plans to amend the Rome Statute to include ecocide.

Land Mines: Bomb Disposal

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government to which countries they have provided (1) advice, and (2) support, on landmine clearance programmes.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Since 2018 we have funded programmes to clear landmines and other explosive hazards in Afghanistan, Angola, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Colombia, Georgia, (Abkhazia), Iraq, Laos, Lebanon, Libya, Myanmar, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Vietnam, Yemen and Zimbabwe. In most countries these programmes include capacity development for national authorities to help them manage contamination and education for populations to help keep them safe. In November 2020 the UK successfully fulfilled its own obligation under the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention with the completion of the Falklands Demining Programme.

Diplomatic Service

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their Global Britain in a Competitive Age: the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy (CP403), published on 16 March, what plans they have to increase the UK's (1) diplomatic presence, and (2) other infrastructure, around the globe.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: As outlined in the Integrated Review, effective diplomacy is a critical tool in the UK's ability to deliver for British citizens in the world. Our diplomatic network of 283 officially designated Posts in 180 countries and territories includes an increased presence in the Indo-Pacific region where four new Posts have opened since 2018.

Israel: Arrests

Baroness Sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Israel undertook a mass arrest of Palestinian citizens of Israel on 24 May.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: We have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupied territories. We also reiterate our view, in line with international law, that administrative detention should be used only when security makes this absolutely necessary rather than as routine practice and as a preventive rather than a punitive measure.In instances where there have been accusations of excessive use of force, we continue to urge Israel to ensure that its investigations are transparent, swift and comprehensive. We also continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Baroness Eaton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure issues affecting the wider middle east region, including the involvement of Iran in regional conflicts, are included in discussions on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Our immediate priority is to bring an end to Iran's continued systematic non-compliance with its JCPoA nuclear commitments. To that end, we are currently engaged in talks in Vienna with other JCPoA participants and the US aimed at returning the US to the deal, bringing Iran back into full compliance with its commitments and restoring the benefits of the deal for all.A restored and fully implemented JCPoA could provide the confidence to further address regional and security concerns. As such, we welcome and support President Biden's commitment to not just return to the deal, but to strengthen and extend it. A substantive effort is required to improve regional security and Iran's role in destabilising the region needs to be addressed.

Ebrahim Raisi

Baroness Eaton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the human rights record of the Iranian presidential candidate Ebrahim Raisi.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Iran is a Human Rights Priority Country for the FCDO. We consistently monitor the human rights situation there, and call on President-elect Raisi to set Iran on a different course. He must commit to improving human rights and to release British nationals arbitrarily detained there. Our assessment is that the Iranian authorities have suppressed protests through lethal violence, while arbitrary detention and mistreatment in prison prevails, and access to justice remains constrained. We regularly raise human rights with the Iranians at all levels and take action with the international community to press Iran to improve its poor record. For example, in September 2020, the United Kingdom, France and Germany summoned Iranian ambassadors and delivered a joint letter that expressed our deep concern at the grave human rights violations occurring inside Iran.

Palestinian Authority

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the value of the UK contribution to the Palestinian Authority in the last 12 months; and what assessment they have made of the sources of funds for the Palestinian Authority Martyrs’ Fund.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: In financial year 2020/21 we provided £20m in funding to the Palestinian Authority to support the salaries of education workers in the West Bank. No UK aid is used for the Martyrs Fund directly or indirectly.

Uyghur Tribunal

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a representative of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office attended proceedings of the Uyghur Tribunal in London on (1) 4 June, and (2) 7 June; what assessment they have made of testimonies of witnesses to the Tribunal; whether they have asked to meet with (a) the Tribunal Chair Sir Geoffrey Nice, and (b) other members of the Tribunal, to discuss their preliminary findings; and if not, whether they plan to do so.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: We have serious concerns about gross violations of human rights occurring in Xinjiang and welcome any work that is rigorous, balanced and raises awareness of the situation faced by Uyghurs and other minorities in China. We are following the work of the Uyghur Tribunal and remain in contact with Sir Geoffrey Nice. We will study any resulting report carefully.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit: Training

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that all individuals on Universal Credit are able to participate in learning and training courses.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) recognises that claimants may need to retrain or upskill to meet the changing needs of the labour market. The Department is continuing to implement the Plan for Jobs, which is focused on providing a skills and employment offer, allowing people to adapt and pivot into the job roles that employers need to fill. Our extensive Work Coach network engages with claimants on the basis of their individual need to support access to a comprehensive range of skills support, which includes: Apprenticeships, vocational and basic skills training, careers advice and Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs). The Department has recently launched the DWP Train and Progress initiative with the aim of improving alignment between our Government’s employment and skills support offer for Universal Credit (UC) claimants. This initiative builds more flexibility into the UC system for claimants to participate in longer spells of full time, work-related training where that is required. Our aim is to ensure people gain the skills and qualifications needed to progress into work and onto better-paid work. As a key part of DWP Train and Progress we have enhanced the links between Jobcentres and the careers services to support skills triage, signposting to career conversations with all claimants, particularly the most disadvantaged, building on existing ways of joint working. DWP’s Train and Progress campaign, to better align the employment and skills support offer, has been further enhanced by an increase in the amount of time UC claimants can take part in full-time training to 12 weeks - up from the current 8 weeks - helping them gain the skills and qualifications needed for good jobs. UC claimants will be able to train full time for up to 16 weeks in areas where Skills Boot camps exist.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Seas and Oceans: Pollution Control

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to reduce ocean pollution.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK Government is committed to leading efforts to protect the marine environment from all human-induced stressors. Marine litter is one of the greatest environmental challenges we face with 80% of marine plastic litter originating from land-based sources, and predictions of a threefold increase in the amount of plastics in the ocean between 2015 and 2025.Domestically, assessments in the UK Marine Strategy Part One (published in October 2019) show that Good Environmental Status for contaminants in UK waters has largely been achieved, though not yet for marine litter. The UK Marine Strategy Part Three (published in December 2015) sets out the comprehensive list of actions that the UK Government is taking to reduce contaminant concentrations in the marine environment to acceptable levels. Existing measures include various pollution reduction requirements for emissions and discharges from industry, and measures for coastal waters that are set out in the River Basin Management Plans. We intend to publish an update to Part Three this year, outlining the programme of measures that will continue to move us towards Good Environmental Status in our seas.Our 25 Year Environment Plan also establishes our target of reducing all forms of marine plastic pollution where possible, with our Resources and Waste Strategy setting out how we will achieve this. The Strategy includes a commitment to review and consult on measures such as Extended Producer Responsibility for fishing gear by 2022.Given the trans-boundary nature of the marine environment, we work closely with other countries to tackle pollution, for example through the OSPAR Convention. The UK also contributes to and implements the obligations of several global initiatives, including the London Protocol and the London Convention, to protect the marine environment from mercury, persistent organic pollutants, hazardous wastes, hazardous chemicals, pesticides and marine litter.In 2018, the UK and Vanuatu launched the Commonwealth Clean Ocean Alliance, a Blue Charter Action Group, now comprising 34 countries, each pledging action on plastic pollution. To support this work, the UK has committed up to £70 million to tackle plastics pollution entering our ocean. This includes boosting global research, supporting developing countries to address ambitions under the Commonwealth Clean Ocean Alliance, as well as testing and finding alternative ways in which plastics can be reduced, reused or recycled and making efforts to transition to more sustainable forms of manufacturing. The UK has also launched a £500 million Blue Planet Fund, financed from Official Development Assistance, to help eligible countries protect their marine resources from key human-generated threats including climate change, marine pollution such as marine litter, overfishing and biodiversity loss. Due to the scale of the marine litter challenge, the UK believes it is also time to start negotiations on a new global agreement on marine litter and microplastics at the United Nations Environment Assembly. This would build on the important work we are doing to tackle marine litter both domestically and internationally and support our commitments to eliminate plastic entering the ocean.

Agricultural Products: Northern Ireland

Lord Hay of Ballyore: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their most recent assessment of the proportion of goods consignments from the rest of the United Kingdom to Northern Ireland that contain agri-food products.

Lord Benyon: In 2018, external purchases of all goods (including agrifood) into Northern Ireland totalled approximately £17 billion. Of that total, £10.4 billion (approximately 60%) came from Great Britain. At present, the Government estimates that agrifood trade from Great Britain to Northern Ireland totals approximately £2.5–£3.4 billion per annum. These two metrics cannot be directly compared, but the Government believes that by value, the proportion of goods consignments from the rest of the United Kingdom to Northern Ireland that contain agri-food products could range from approximately one quarter to one third.

Home Office

Asylum: Napier Barracks

Lord Boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government when any (1) minister, or (2) senior civil servant, last visited the refugee accommodation at Napier Barracks; and what assessment they made of the living conditions there.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: There is a weekly home office presence at Napier Barracks, with senior civil servants regularly visiting the site, most recently on 2 June. Significant improvements to conditions at Napier have been recognised.Ministers Foster and Philp have visited Napier Barracks.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what records they will maintain relating to the timing of applications for settled status, particularly of individuals applying before 1 July but whose applications are granted on or after that date.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office records the date on which all applications to the EUSS are received and concluded.Our aim is to process all applications to the EU Settlement Scheme as expeditiously as possible. Complete applications are usually processed in around five working days.More information about processing times for applications under the scheme is available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/eu-settlement-scheme-application-processing-times/eu-settlement-scheme-pilot-current-expected-processing-times-for-applicationsThe latest published information shows the total number of concluded applications to the EU Settlement scheme was 5.27 million up to 31 May 2021.The latest figures can be found on the Home Office’s ‘EU Settlement Scheme statistics’ web page available at:EU Settlement Scheme statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Applications concluded by month and decision type are published in the detailed quarterly release – EU Settlement Scheme quarterly statistics, March 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Overseas Visitors: Children

Lord Coaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children visited the United Kingdom on school visits using identity cards in the last year for which figures are available.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: We do not record specific details of the number of children who have travelled to the UK on national identity cards for the purpose of school visits.

Police Custody: Mental Illness

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of forensic beds available for people with mental health conditions held in police custody.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Police custody healthcare services provide care to detainees to support their physical and mental health needs. These services do not extend to the provision of forensic beds within police custody.The forensic, or secure, mental health estate provides inpatient hospital services to people with severe mental illness who need specialist care.Patients may be referred by a psychiatrist to these services, or they may be placed there following a court conviction, or they may be transferred there from a prison. People in police custody may be assessed and detained under the Mental Health Act, in some cases the referral may be to a secure service.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to section 10A of the British Nationality Act 1981, to be inserted on 1 July 2021, what information will be provided to EU citizens who settle in the UK on or after 1 July 2021 regarding the effect of that section and its application to any child born of such citizens while in the UK.

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to provide access to the records to any child to whom section 10A of the British Nationality Act, to be inserted on 1 July 2021, relates to; and what other steps they will take to ensure that a child is able to confirm their British citizenship acquired under this section, whether during childhood or adulthood.

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will provide access to the records relating to section 10A of the British Nationality Act 1981, to be added on 1 July 2021, to the parent, local authority or other guardian with responsibility for the child.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The British Nationality Act 1981 (Immigration Rules Appendix EU) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 will be an important means by which we protect the nationality rights of children who might otherwise be adversely affected in consequence of, or in connection with, the ending of free movement.We will publish their introduction and operation using our usual methods such as gov.uk, but will also ask those who have been dealing with the EU Settlement Scheme more generally to raise awareness through the stakeholders they already engage with, including Local Authorities.We anticipate many children who need to benefit from the provision will already have access to the requisite information to establish their nationality, not least as much of it will have been supplied by their parent as part of the EU Settlement Scheme application. Nonetheless, where there are evidence gaps, we are establishing processes to assist any applicants, and ideally without the need to ask for further information from the child or their parent. This includes the EUSS record itself given its importance to the operation of these provisions.

Asylum: Napier Barracks

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of (1) whether the outbreak of COVID-19 at Napier Barracks is now over, and (2) the safety of Napier Barracks for new arrivals of asylum seekers.

Lord Greenhalgh: There is currently nobody housed at Napier Barracks who has tested positive for COVID 19. The previous outbreak was declared over on 6 March 2021.We have sought Public Health England advice on how we can make best use of this accommodation, working within the constraints of the configuration, whilst minimising risks from COVID-19.We are using dormitories as shared rooms, but limiting occupancy ensuring a minimum distance between beds of at least 2 metres. This is complemented by a range of additional safety measures including increased cleaning of surfaces, availability of hand sanitisers, a track and trace system, three weekly lateral flow tests for residents and staff and lateral flow tests on arrival for visitors. We also communicate with residents around COVID-19 control measures.We continue to work with health and public health bodies to ensure an acceptable level of risk in relation to Covid-19.

Cabinet Office

Government Departments: LGBT People

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government which government departments are participating in Stonewall's Diversity Champions Programme; how much they are spending on the Programme; whether any government departments are making payments to Stonewall for other initiatives; and if so, how much is each department spending.

Lord True: The information requested is not held centrally. The Government supports inclusive workplaces and, as has been the case for many years, departments work with a variety of external schemes.

Treasury

Fuels: Smuggling

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the amount of illegal fuel that has been smuggled into the United Kingdom from the Republic of Ireland in each of the last five years.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: Cross-border cooperation is a key element of HMRC’s operational response to fuel fraud and we will continue to collaborate with Ireland and others to ensure we are well placed to respond quickly and decisively to detect and prevent this type of illegal activity. This co-operation, as well as a multi-agency approach, has driven down the assessed tax gap for the illicit fuel market share in Northern Ireland from 19% in 2005-06, to a low of 6% in the latest figures published for 2018-19. Similarly, in that period, the assessed tax gap for illicit fuel for Great Britain has reduced from 5% to 1%. Published Tax Gap assessments for illicit fuel have either reduced or remained static for the last five years.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they haveto increase the terms of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme in the event that COVID-19 restrictions last beyond the 21 June.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: On Monday 14 June, the Prime Minister set out why a short four-week delay to the roadmap is necessary. Employers will not be asked to make contributions to wages for hours worked through the CJRS until 1 July 2021, as announced at Spring Budget when the scheme was extended to the end of September. This is the same approach the Government successfully introduced last summer, where comparable restrictions were in place. It is therefore right to continue with the existing timetable to reintroduce a small employer contribution, in order to strike the right balance between supporting the economy as it opens up, continuing to provide support and protect incomes, and ensuring incentives are in place to get people back to work as demand returns. At March Budget 2021, the Government deliberately went long and erred on the side of generosity; specifically to accommodate short delays to the roadmap, such as this. Most of the Government schemes do not end until September or after, in order to provide continuity and certainty for businesses and families.

Multinational Companies: Taxation

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the recent G7 global taxation agreement, what plans they have to require (1) public country-by-country reporting for UK based multinationals, and (2) enhanced tax reporting, to increase transparency and better ascertain the tax liabilities of UK multinationals.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The Government is delighted to have secured G7 backing for the two-pillar solution being developed by the OECD to reform the international tax framework and the Government’s focus is on reaching final agreement with the G20 and OECD Inclusive Framework. A final agreement, when implemented, would help deal with the root of concerns about the taxation of multinationals, both as to where these corporations are taxed and as to the level at which they pay tax. As part of the Finance Act 2016, large corporations and multinational enterprises are already required to publish a tax strategy document, which outlines the company’s attitude towards tax planning and its approach towards its dealings with HMRC. The Government has also led on implementing international standards in tax transparency, including the Common Reporting Standard and Country-by-Country Reporting, which ensure tax authorities have the information they need to identify and challenge avoidance. The Government considers that public country-by-country reporting needs to be implemented on a broad multilateral basis with wide international support if it is to be effective. Implementing it without wide international support would distort decisions on where companies decide to locate.

Tourism and Travel: Coronavirus

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what additionalfinancial support they plan to offer to the travel and tourism industry because of the decline of business in that sector.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: In England, the travel and tourism sector can benefit from the £5 billion package of grant support announced at Budget. This includes Restart Grants worth up to £6,000 if classified as non-essential retail or up to £18,000 if classified as a leisure or accommodation business. This package of support also includes the £425 million top-up to the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) which has already provided Local Authorities (LAs) with £1.6 billion. This funding is at the LAs’ discretion and is intended to support businesses which are not eligible for Restart Grants, but which are nonetheless experiencing a severe impact on their business. The Government continues to review all the economic support schemes, including grant support, as the public health response evolves. These grants scheme come as part of a wide-ranging package of support which the travel and tourism sector also stand to benefit from. This includes extensions to the furlough scheme; extensions to the COVID-19 loan schemes; a business rates holiday; mortgage holidays; enhanced Time to Pay for taxes; and an extension to the reduced rate of VAT for businesses in the tourism and hospitality sectors.

Self-employed: Coronavirus

Lord Hay of Ballyore: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken in the last three months to support self-employed people who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The Government announced at Budget 2021 that the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) will continue until September, with a fourth and a final fifth grant. This provides certainty to business as the economy reopens and means the SEISS will continue to be one of the most generous schemes for the self-employed in the world. The fourth SEISS grant was available to claim from late April to 1 June, and was worth 80% of average trading profits, paid out in a single instalment covering three months’ worth of annual profits, and capped at £7,500 in total. The fifth and final SEISS grant, covering May to September, will include a turnover test  in order to ensure that the most generous support is targeted at those who need it most. This will determine whether individuals can continue to receive a grant worth 80% of three months’ average trading profits, capped at £7,500 or a 30% grant, capped at £2,850. Further, the SEISS is just one element of a substantial package of support for the self-employed. At Budget, the temporary £20 per week increase to the Universal Credit standard allowance was extended for six months, and the Government also extended the suspension of the Minimum Income Floor for three months, to the end of July 2021, so that where self-employed claimants' earnings have fallen significantly, their Universal Credit award can continue to take into account their lower earnings. In addition to this, they may also have access to other elements of the package, including Restart Grants, the Recovery Loan scheme, business rates relief, and other business support schemes.

UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

Lord Hay of Ballyore: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their most recent assessment of the total cost to UK businesses of EU tariffs being applied on goods entering Northern Ireland from elsewhere in the United Kingdom.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The Northern Ireland Protocol is clear that Northern Ireland is fully part of the UK’s customs territory. As such, there should be no tariffs on internal UK trade and tariffs should only be charged if goods are destined for Ireland or the EU Single Market more broadly, or if there is a genuine and substantial risk of them ending up there. Traders are able to declare goods ‘not at risk’ and therefore face no duty if their goods are for sale to, or final use by, end consumers located in the UK that are brought into Northern Ireland by a trader authorised under the UK Trader Scheme. The Government has also made full use of provisions in the Protocol to waive tariffs on goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, even where they are classified as ‘at risk’ of entering the EU market. In addition, the Government will establish a reimbursement scheme for goods that attract a tariff, but which can subsequently be shown to have remained in the UK customs territory. In order to help traders moving goods, the Government has also provided £270 million to support businesses trading between Great Britain and Northern Ireland through the Trader Support Service. More than 39,000 traders have registered for this free to use service which provides education for traders and can complete customs declarations on their behalf.

Tax Allowances

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what potential tax incentives they have (1) discussed, and (2) implemented, in support of the news publishing industry.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The Government recognises the important role that media organisations, including the news publishing industry, play at a national and local level. In order to support them, the Government extended the £1,500 business rates discount on local newspaper office space in England until 31 March 2025. On 1 May 2020, the Government extended the zero rate of VAT to e-publications to support literacy and reading and make it clear that e-books, e-newspapers, e-magazines and academic e-journals are entitled to the same VAT treatment as their physical counterparts. Originally due to be implemented in December 2020, the introduction of the zero rate was brought forward as a boost for readers and publishers during the coronavirus outbreak. The Government keeps all tax policy under review and regularly receives proposals for sector-specific tax reliefs.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Internet: Fraud

Baroness Manzoor: To ask Her Majesty's Government what stepsthey are taking to ensure that tech companies providing advertising space for financial products do not host advertisements from rogue or scam operators, in order to ensure that consumers are protected.

Baroness Manzoor: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether tech companies hosting advertisements for financial products from rogue or scam operators are responsible for those advertisements; and what plans they have to ensure that such companies are held accountable for any such advertisements.

Baroness Barran: The Government takes fraud very seriously. We continue to work closely with industry to close down the vulnerabilities that fraudsters exploit and ensure members of the public have the information they need to spot a scam and stand up to fraudsters. My department continues to work closely with other government departments, including the Home Office as the government department responsible for tackling fraud, to develop a coherent approach to online advertising that supports competition and protects consumers. We are working with industry, regulators and consumer groups to understand the specific harms that are being linked to advertising, including online fraud and scams. Following a call for evidence in 2020, the Online Advertising Programme will launch a public consultation later this year to examine how best to strengthen standards around the placement and content of online advertising to minimise these types of financial harm, and to ensure they can be effectively enforced. More information about the Programme can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/online-advertising-call-for-evidence/online-advertising-call-for-evidence

The Senior Deputy Speaker

UK Relations with EU: Select Committees

Lord Balfe: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what assessment the Liaison Committee has made of the case for establishing a committee for the purposes of preparing a submission to the Conference on the Future of Europe.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: In December 2020 the Liaison Committee published the final recommendations from its extensive review of investigative and scrutiny committee activity. These recommendations were agreed by the House on 13 January 2021 and a number of new sessional committees were subsequently appointed on 14 April. These include a Select Committee on European Affairs, with orders of reference which include consideration of matters relating to the United Kingdom’s relationship with the European Union and European Economic Area. There are no current plans to recommend the appointment of further committees to consider relations with the European Union.